Pearl Abyss reports a decrease in Q2 earnings as the initial effects of the Crimson Desert launch period diminish

After a robust start with the March debut of Crimson Desert, Pearl Abyss witnessed a decline in its performance during the second quarter.

The company's earnings, which had previously soared by 419.8% in the first quarter, saw a substantial decrease in both operating revenue and profitability compared to the previous quarter.

The company reported a 41.4% drop in operating revenue, amounting to ₩192.6 billion ($135.9 million), and a 68.1% decline in operating profit to ₩67.6 billion ($47.7 million). The net profit also experienced a 58.3% reduction to ₩70.9 billion ($50 million).

Pearl Abyss cited several factors for missing its earlier performance forecasts, including division of sales across various channels for Crimson Desert, differences in regional pricing strategies, delays in revenue recognition for physical sales, and deferrals due to refund policies.

A significant portion of earnings came from North America and Europe, accounting for 75%, while Asia contributed 16% and Korea added 9%. In terms of platform distribution, PC accounted for 61% of sales, consoles 34%, and mobile devices 5%. The console revenue was notably high, with Crimson Desert making up approximately 70% of the total revenue.

In the second quarter, Crimson Desert sold 2.11 million units, which generated ₩136.1 billion ($96 million) in revenues, with digital sales representing 82%, compared to 18% for physical copies.

Pearl Abyss is working on downloadable content for Crimson Desert and anticipates announcing its release date in the third quarter. The company is also preparing to enter new platforms, having achieved a "playable baseline" on the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, eyeing a release in the first half of 2027.

The Black Desert series yielded ₩55 billion ($38.8 million), reflecting a minor decline as the company concentrated on optimizing existing content rather than pursuing major expansions.

Looking into the future, Pearl Abyss has updated its annual forecast, projecting operating revenue between ₩709.8 billion ($501 million) and ₩743.8 billion ($525 million), and operating profit ranging from ₩315.5 billion ($222.7 million) to ₩345.2 billion ($243.6 million).

Meanwhile, new projects including DokeV and Plan 8 are underway, with DokeV targeted for release in the second half of 2028. Pearl Abyss is focused on maintaining a regular game release pattern every two to three years.